Wow, can you believe NO major hurricanes last year? Will this mean my house insurance will go down? Well, maybe not, but one thing for sure, the manatees are on their way back to the warmer quiet waters at Gulf Coast Kayak, and the Matlachae Pass. I just love going out in the early morning for a paddle and see these gentle giants. Just think, years ago pirates and explorers thought these mammals were mermaids. I wonder how long you have to be at sea, and how much grog you need to drink, to make these 1600 lbs of flesh look like a shapely blue-eyed blonde? The manatee found in this area, a sub-species of the West Indian manatee, are also called sea cows because of their grazing habits. At one time there were a few different species of manatees, but now we have only two kinds.

How do you start to make a manatee? Well, just in case there may be some kids or grandkids around we will keep it on the up and up. First we start with a young female manatee around 6 to 7 years old. Well, she is now of the age where she can have babies, so she has a party, and invites some of her younger boyfriends over. They all get together and each of the boys have a dance with the female and mate. The female then leaves the party alone. After the party the female finds out she is going to have a baby; 12 months later she gives birth to a little baby (about 30 lbs), and it is born under water. Being a mammal, when the baby is under water it can’t breathe, so mom pushes the little guy up to the top of the water and from then on he breaths air. On the lighter side, mom raises the pup all by herself.

Now you may not know this, but, get ready for this one, this is where the saying of ‘who’s your daddy’ came from... Well, maybe not. Mom nurses the pup from a breast under her flipper; the milk is very good for the pup and it starts to grow about a pound a week. Sometimes the pup will stay with mom for 2 to 3 years. The baby has round teeth (molars) and can eat grass. But he can also eat nuts , berries, leaves, and twigs from low-lying branches of trees. I know you are trying to visualize a 1200 pound manatee up under a tree trying to hold a branch in its flippers and eat it. Well, they do, but not the way you would think. They hold the branch or clump of grass with their lips, yes, I said lips. You see, their lips are like little hands (prehensile); they hold a twig with one side and strip the leaves of with the other side of their lip, much like a elephant will do with its trunk. Strange? Not really; you see the manatee is related to the elephant. Also just look at the hide or skin of a manatee, or its toenails, just like an elephant. Last summer we came across a young female manatee with two young at her side; she was nursing the two pups, so I thought that maybe they were both hers. Yet, it is rare to see two young and only one mom.

Maybe there was a problem for another mom and this one took on the responsibility of raising this orphan?? I guess we will never know. The manatee is a shy creature; he will spent most of his time eating about 1/3 his weight a day. He can not see very well, and has no eyebrows or lids over his eyes. I always tell fellow paddlers, when out on tour, that if they want to pick up the manatee, they can do so if they pick him up by his ears. No, he doesn’t have ears either, just a slight dimple that picks up vibration. When looking for and at manatees it’s best to keep your distance; it is not only respectful but is the law. When doing tours in Matlacha we see manatee all the time. We give them their space and don’t harass them by trying to feed them some lettuce or cabbage. This is a practice that is not good for you or the manatee. You may think this is fun to see them eat but you could be teaching them a behavior that is not natural for them, and it could lead to their demise. Suppose you feed them every day and they like it? Then you go back home or up north and the manatee now start going up to boats looking for a handout? This is not only dangerous for them and their young, but I don’t think this is what Mother Nature wanted for these gentle giants, to become a scavenger looking for handouts from every passing boat.

Should you come across a manatee that is injured or dead, call Fish and Wildlife, and they will respond to the problem.. So come see the manatee in Matlacha; they should be here from November till March. Then they head back to the warm water in the Gulf. But remember it’s always a great day in MAT-LA-SHA. See you on the water. Thanks for paddling with Mel the Guide. Gulf coast Kayak is open all year 24/7 941 661 8229 239 283 1125 for rentals or to book a tour with Mel the Guide captbudd@cfl.rr.com